NORTH OF DIXIE – North of Dixie: Civil Rights Photography Beyond the South

Over 100 powerful photographs offer a broader view and fresh perspective on the nationwide struggle for civil rights

BY MARK SPELTZ -- PUBLISHED BY J. PAUL GETTY MUSEUM, LOS ANGELES

North of Dixie changes how we view the struggle for racial justice

The history of the civil rights movement is commonly illustrated with well-known photographs from Birmingham, Montgomery, and Selma—leaving the visual story of the movement outside the South remaining to be told.

Fall 2016 / Hardcover / J. Paul Getty Museum & Getty Publications / 160 pages / 100 b&w illustrations / ISBN 978-1-60606-505-1

With images by photojournalists, artists, and activists, including Bob Adelman, Charles Brittin, Diana Davies, Leonard Freed, Gordon Parks, and Art Shay, North of Dixie offers a broader and more complex view of the American civil rights movement than is usually presented by the media. North of Dixie also considers the camera as a tool that served both those in support of the movement and against it. Photographs inspired activists, galvanized public support, and implored local and national politicians to act, but they also provided means of surveillance and repression that were used against movement participants. North of Dixie brings to light numerous lesser-known images and illuminates the story of the civil rights movement in the American North and West.

Mark Speltz

is an author and historian based in Madison, Wisconsin

Follow on Social Media

Mark Speltz writes about civil rights photography, vernacular architecture, & Wisconsin history and culture. North of Dixie is his third book. He is currently a senior historian at American Girl.

Praise for North of Dixie

“As the overwhelming negative issues of race persist in tearing away at the soul of our nation, America needs to be more enlightened on the history of this subject and how it continues to demand resolve morally and politically. As Dr. King often said, ‘If the issue of race is not squarely debated and favorably brought to closure this nation will not survive.’ North of Dixie makes this tragic story of our nation worthy of our attention. It helps us understand the ways in which this tragedy can be addressed. This opportunity should not be missed.”

Harry Belafonte

singer, actor, and social activist

“This book changes how we view the struggle for racial justice in the United States. Our popular images of the civil rights movement are overwhelmingly southern. North of Dixie challenges this myopia, powerfully assembling the photographic record of movements from Los Angeles to New York City and raising urgent questions about where we are today in this country.”

Jeanne Theoharis

Distinguished Professor of Political Science, Brooklyn College of CUNY

“A remarkable compendium of civil rights–era photographs, North of Dixie reminds us that places like New York, Chicago, Milwaukee, and Detroit were just as important to the black freedom struggle as Atlanta, Greensboro, Montgomery, and Birmingham. Mark Speltz has created an indispensable photo archive of modern America’s defining social movement, with images that are provocative, disturbing, and moving.”

Thomas J. Sugrue

author of Sweet Land of Liberty: The Forgotten Struggle for Civil Rights in the North

“North of Dixie sheds much-needed light on aspects of African American history that have been unfortunately neglected. . . . This book will provide new reasons to appreciate the dedicated people who recorded what the mainstream news media missed.”

Clayborne Carson

Martin Luther King, Jr., Centennial Professor of History and Founding Director of the Martin Luther King, Jr., Institute, Stanford University

More about the publisher, J. Paul Getty Museum

Visit the Getty Publications website

NORTH OF DIXIE: CIVIL RIGHTS PHOTOGRAPHY BEYOND THE SOUTH

Over 100 powerful photographs offer a broader view and fresh perspective on the nationwide struggle for civil rights

NORTHERN UNDEREXPOSURE

THE BATTLE FOR SELF-REPRESENTATION

BLACK POWER & BEYOND

SURVEILLANCE & REPRESSION

North of Dixie changes how we view the struggle for racial justice

The history of the civil rights movement is commonly illustrated with well-known photographs from Birmingham, Montgomery, and Selma—leaving the visual story of the movement outside the South remaining to be told.

Mark Speltz

Praise for North of Dixie

More about the publisher, J. Paul Getty Museum

Latest news & blog posts

Surveillance and civil rights in Milwaukee

Since We Last Met

The Joy of Book Events

Maurice Berger reviews North of Dixie for the New York Times

My New Piece for TIME magazine is Now Live

Earlier this summer I was invited by TIME magazine’s photo blog, TIME LightBox, to reflect on civil rights and Black Lives Matter movement photography.

“Don’t Ride” Campaign in San Francisco

Uncovering photographs that tell stories is rarely straightforward.

Madison Book Launch

North of Dixie officially launches at the Wisconsin Book Festival on October 23, 2016.

Research Trip Out West

Welcome

To schedule a book talk, media interview, or share photographs and stories, please get in touch.